Written by Edgar Luna

If you are reading this is because you are alive and are fortunate to have many blessings that you might be thankful for that allow you to have the abilities and means to be able to read this. Now I want to take a moment to talk about all those heroes that make our time on this earth possible. And no, I am not going to talk about the superheroes you see in the movies.

 I want to talk about the heroes who made an impact in my life. For that I do not have to go very far as they are very close to me and they have impacted my life in such a manner that I am so grateful for all of what they did and continue to do. 

Starting with my mom and dad, who thanks to them, I am here right now.

Briefly talking about them, my dad, one of 14 siblings, had to work with my grandfather from a very young age to help put food on the table and a roof over their heads. When he was about 20 years old he left his comfort zone working with my grandfather and earning good money, and got a job as a bank security guard. During that time he had a few incidents of people trying to rob the bank and he was able to defend and survive. His struggles as a child and teen were real, survival of the strongest. And with all those struggles, he became the most loving and supporting dad, always motivating me to do my best and reach for the stars.

My mom as the middle child of 3 siblings she had a good childhood with loving parents they were not poor, however she started working to help out, she was a nurse for many years in the emergency room and saw lots of horrible injuries that many people would not be able to handle but she is one that could and did her work with love. She always worked before she got married and was a perfect example of commitment to family. She was also a very loving mother, that would be able to build any of the Star Wars ships with cardboard or make me a superhero costume that in itself is a superpower. 

My brother, the middle one, even though he came into our life when I was almost 3 and became the center of attention, was one of the first ones to break the mold and open his own business, and with all the struggles he did not quit and now has a thriving business and provides excellent service. Also you will not find such a calm personality as him able to listen and provide those calming words to any situation,  however on the basketball court,  he is a killer.

My kid brother, when he was born I was 7 years old and my dad gave us the news that he had been born with only one arm, but that we had to treat him as a normal person. So we took that to heart and treated him as a regular kid. Man did we give him a hard time just like a normal big brother. And he turned into the most active, charismatic, intelligent person you know. You would not know he is missing part of his arm. He played basketball through high school, college, and still plays. He is the perfect example of no excuses, excelling at everything he does in life.

My beautiful wife, the most energetic, loving person I know. She is that person that lights up a room, you can ask anyone, she is not afraid of speaking her mind and then comforts you with a loving hug. Because of her adventurous nature we have done things I would not have  done, she sacrificed her life for her kids and did it with style and elegance. This lady does so much for our whole family, always thinking of others and trying to make them happy and for fun trains everyday to participate in Ironman Triathlons at least once a year. Doing 70.3 miles in less than 7 hours is crazy to me but she does it and has energy after that to keep going with a smile and asking what’s next.

My oldest child, my daughter, is just like her mom, full of energy and does what she says she is going to do. Without our help she arranged everything to go to collage and set the example for her younger siblings. Very smart and  does not let anything stand in her way. She always is willing to help and only sees opportunities. Very focused and driven on what she wants. She is all in on everything she does and you can tell that she puts in the work. She melts you with her singing and makes you either love her or hate her with her acting, depending on the role she is acting.

My middle child, he is meticulous, thinks everything out, very cautious, out at the some time a risk taker. He plans ahead and has everything well defined but when he told us he wanted to go to college in Chicago that was a huge surprise, especially being far from his family. Living in a big city and thriving is very impressive for any young person. Constantly pushing himself out of his comfort zone and finding out that he will be OK.  Very surprising what he did, however as he gets more experience of living far away, I see that he is maturing into a great person.

And our baby, he is the one that might not fit the regular pattern, he is a dreamer , very smart. Since he was 6 or 7 has always had some type of business and had money in his pocket. Every Christmas he is the one buying 20 or 30 gifts for immediate family cousins, uncles, aunts if you were at the party you were getting a gift from him. He has had many successful businesses at his young age, has music in Spotify which I love and is the life of the party. He is a doer and nothing stops him from doing what he wants. He also has the biggest heart ,very generous. If sees someone in need he will go out of his way to help, truly has shown me true generosity.  And recently he enlisted in the Marines. A very selfless human being.

And like this, I could go on with many more stories from each one of them or from my other family members and friends that are close to me. What I want to emphasize is that we are all surrounded by “Everyday Heroes” that are doing something spectacular every day. 

You might not see it, however just think of all the parents that are waking up to go to their job to support their families, those people that are caring for sick family members or others, those people that have sacrificed to protect and serve, those who invest their time to develop and teach and with that so many more.

Regardless of what you think if you are alive it’s because several Everyday Heroes helped you and believed in you and that is powerful.

So thank all the people that have impacted you and whatever experience you received from them it has helped you be what you are today.

I know that my list is very long and would love to thank each one personally, however I hope that this very small gesture is taken as my gratitude to everyone that has been a part of my life and done something to help me grow as a better human being.

E.Luna